Article of clothing with bottle cap gripping patch

ABSTRACT

An article of clothing having a protective patch positioned to allow a user to grasp the patch over a bottle cap without removing the article of clothing, to facilitate the removal of a twist-off cap from a bottle. In the preferred embodiment the protective patch comprises a flexible patch or medallion affixed to the article of clothing at a position accessible to the user&#39;s hand, for example adjacent to the waist of the garment, which covers the cap and provides a protective layer between the cap and the user&#39;s hand. The patch may support text indicia or design indicia, or both, which may correspond to advertising indicia supported elsewhere on the article of clothing.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to clothing. In particular, this invention relates to an article of clothing having a protective patch which facilitates the removal of a twist-off cap from a bottle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Many types of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including beer, are sold in a bottle having a cap closure which hermetically seals the bottle interior when the cap is applied to the bottle, to preserve the beverage. In the case of screw type or so-called “twist-off” type caps, an annular ridge disposed about the mouth of the bottle is provided with short projecting sections of a helical thread, and the cap is removed by a rotating or twisting motion. However, unlike a screw type cap, twist-off caps are not threaded on to the bottle, but are clinched to the mouth of the bottle.

[0003] To remove a twist-off bottle cap the user must grip the cap and twist it, typically in a counterclockwise direction. However, the cap is tightly clinched to the mouth of the bottle and considerable force is required to remove the cap. The clinching process leaves the rim of the cap with a series of sharp ridges which can abrade the user's hand during the opening process because of the force and torque required to be applied by the user in order to grip and remove the cap, particularly if the bottle is wet with condensation, and at best causes considerable discomfort.

[0004] Thus, users often try and protect their hand when opening a twist-off cap, using any convenient nearby protective or cushioning material. Typically this ends up being an article of clothing, usually a portion of the user's shirt. Most clothing fabrics are not designed to withstand the abrasive forces involved in opening the bottle, and thus tend to stretch or tear as the bottle is opened.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The present invention overcomes this disadvantages by providing an article of clothing, such as a shirt, having a protective patch positioned to allow a user to grasp the patch over a bottle cap without removing the article of clothing, to facilitate the removal of a twist-off cap from a bottle.

[0006] In the preferred embodiment the protective patch comprises a flexible material sewn or otherwise suitably affixed to the article of clothing in a readily accessible position, for example at or adjacent to the waist of the garment or on an accessible portion of a sleeve, which can be used to cover and grip the cap and provides a protective layer between the cap and the user's hand. The patch is composed of a material designed to withstand the abrasive forces experienced when removing a twist-off cap from a bottle without substantial deformation or tearing, for example a flexible resin-based compound, and can be gripped by the user and placed over the bottle cap without removing the garment.

[0007] The present invention thus provides an article of clothing to be worn by a user having a protective patch for removing a twist-off cap from a bottle, comprising a body portion composed of a flexible fabric, and at least one patch composed of a tear-resistant and stretch-resistant material, affixed to article of clothing at a position accessible to a hand of the user, wherein the user can grasp the patch without removing the article of clothing, cover the cap with the patch and twist the cap to remove the cap from the bottle without substantially deforming or tearing the patch.

[0008] The present invention further provides, in combination, an article of clothing to be worn by a user, comprising a body portion composed of a flexible fabric, and at least one protective patch for removing a twist-off cap from a bottle, composed of a tear-resistant and stretch-resistant material and affixed to the article of clothing at a position accessible to a hand of the user, wherein the user can grasp the patch without removing the article of clothing, cover the cap with the patch and twist the cap to remove the cap from the bottle without substantially stretching or tearing the patch.

[0009] The present invention further provides, for affixing to an article of clothing to be worn by a user comprising a body portion composed of a flexible fabric, a protective patch for removing a twist-off cap from a bottle, the protective patch comprising a medallion of a tear-resistant and stretch-resistant material, wherein when the protective patch is affixed to the article of clothing, the user can grasp the patch without removing the article of clothing, cover the cap with the patch and twist the cap to remove the cap from the bottle without substantially deforming or tearing the patch.

[0010] In further aspects of the invention: the body portion comprises a front portion for covering a front of the user having a waist portion for covering a waist of the user, and the patch is affixed to article of clothing at or near the waist portion; the protective patch is disposed to one side of a vertical center of the front portion; the patch supports text indicia or design indicia, or both; the patch supports advertising indicia or is configured in a shape of advertising indicia; the advertising indicia corresponds to advertising indicia supported by a portion of the front portion remote from the patch; the patch is composed of a flexible resin-based compound; and/or the patch is irregularly shaped.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In drawings which illustrate by way of example only a preferred embodiment of the invention,

[0012]FIG. 1 is a front elevation of a shirt embodying the invention,

[0013]FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the protective patch in FIG. 1,

[0014]FIG. 3 is a front elevation of a shirt embodying a further embodiment of the invention,

[0015]FIG. 4 is a front elevation of the protective patch in FIG. 3, and

[0016]FIG. 5 is a front elevation of a further embodiment of the invention supporting advertising indicia.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017]FIG. 1 illustrates an article of clothing to be worn by a user, in the embodiment shown a shirt 10. The shirt 10 comprises a body portion 12 composed of a flexible fabric, for example cotton, polyester or any other garment fabric. The body portion 12 comprises a front portion 14 for covering a front of the user, comprising a waist portion 16 for covering a waist of the user, and sleeves 18.

[0018] A protective patch 20 for gripping a twist-off cap 2 from a bottle 4, illustrated in FIG. 2, in the preferred embodiment comprises a patch or medallion composed of a tear-resistant and stretch-resistant material, for example a flexible resin-based compound. The patch 20 is affixed to the front portion of the shirt 10 at a position accessible to one of the user's hands, for example on or adjacent to the waist portion 16 and preferably disposed to one side of a vertical center of the front portion 14, or on an accessible portion of a sleeve 18 in the case of a long-sleeved garment, where it is easily accessible to one or the other hand of the user. The patch 20 may be sewn to the shirt 10 or otherwise affixed in any suitable fashion.

[0019] In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the patch 20 has a regular shape. FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate an embodiment of the invention in which the patch 20 has an irregular shape. The principles and operation of the invention apply equally to both embodiments.

[0020] In a further embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5, the patch 20 supports text indicia or design indicia, or both. In the embodiment shown the patch 20 supports advertising indicia such as a company logo 30, which corresponds to advertising indicia 32 supported by a portion of the front portion remote from the patch 20, for example the chest area or elsewhere over the torso (including the back of the shirt).

[0021] The patch 20 is manufactured, and any text or design indicia is applied to the patch 20, by suitable methods which are well known to those skilled in the art. The patch 20 is affixed to the article of clothing 10, for example sewn, adhered by a suitable adhesive compound or otherwise affixed to the desired portion of the shirt 10. The shirt 10 may be sold with the patch 20, or the patch 20 may be sold separately for application to an article of clothing 10 previously purchased, or sold with, the patch 20.

[0022] In use, the user grips the bottle 4 in one hand. Grasping the patch 20 with the other hand, without removing the article of clothing 10, the user covers the cap 2 with the patch 20 and twists the cap 2 to remove the cap 2 from the bottle 4. Because the patch 20 is composed of a tear-resistant and stretch-resistant material, the user can apply the necessary force and torque to the cap 2 to remove it from the bottle 4 without substantially stretching or tearing the patch 20, and thus without distorting or tearing the fabric of the clothing article 10. At the same time, the patch 20 provides a protective layer between the bottle cap 2 and the user's hand, substantially eliminating discomfort to the user occasioned by unprotected removal of the cap 2 by a bare hand, and reduces slipping or sliding over the cap 2 caused by moisture on the neck of the bottle 4 or the cap 2.

[0023] The patch 20 also provides a unique advertising opportunity for providers of goods an services, particularly of the types of beverages sold in bottles 4 with twist-off caps 2, in that the patch can support advertising indicia 30 or be configured in a shape of advertising indicia which corresponds to (i.e. matches or complements) advertising matter 32 supported elsewhere on the garment 10. The patch 20 can thus be designed to blend in aesthetically with indicia elsewhere on the garment 10, and can thus be worn relatively inconspicuously.

[0024] A preferred embodiment of the invention having been thus described by way of example only, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that certain modifications and adaptations may be made without departing from the scope of the invention, as set out in the appended claims. 

I claim:
 1. An article of clothing to be worn by a user having a protective patch for removing a twist-off cap from a bottle, comprising a body portion composed of a flexible fabric, and at least one patch composed of a tear-resistant and stretch-resistant material, affixed to article of clothing at a position accessible to a hand of the user, wherein the user can grasp the patch without removing the article of clothing, cover the cap with the patch and twist the cap to remove the cap from the bottle without substantially deforming or tearing the patch.
 2. The article of clothing of claim 1 in which the body portion comprises a front portion for covering a front of the user having a waist portion for covering a waist of the user, wherein the patch is affixed to article of clothing at or near the waist portion.
 3. The article of clothing of claim 1 in which the patch is disposed to one side of a vertical center of the front portion.
 4. The article of clothing of claim 1 in which the patch supports text indicia or design indicia, or both.
 5. The article of clothing of claim 4 in which the patch supports advertising indicia or is configured in a shape of advertising indicia.
 6. The article of clothing of claim 5 in which the advertising indicia corresponds to advertising indicia supported by a portion of the front portion remote from the patch.
 7. The article of clothing of claim 1 in which the patch is composed of a flexible resin-based compound.
 8. The article of clothing of claim 1 in which the patch is irregularly shaped.
 9. In combination, an article of clothing to be worn by a user, comprising a body portion composed of a flexible fabric, and at least one protective patch for removing a twist-off cap from a bottle, composed of a tear-resistant and stretch-resistant material and affixed to the article of clothing at a position accessible to a hand of the user, wherein the user can grasp the patch without removing the article of clothing, cover the cap with the patch and twist the cap to remove the cap from the bottle without substantially stretching or tearing the patch.
 10. The combination of claim 8 in which the body portion comprises a front portion for covering a front of the user having a waist portion for covering a waist of the user, wherein the patch is affixed to article of clothing at or near the waist portion.
 11. The combination of claim 9 in which the patch is disposed to one side of a vertical center of the front portion.
 12. The combination of claim 9 in which the patch supports text indicia or design indicia, or both.
 13. The combination of claim 12 in which the patch supports advertising indicia or is configured in a shape of advertising indicia.
 14. The combination of claim 13 in which the advertising indicia corresponds to advertising indicia supported by a portion of the front portion remote from the patch.
 15. The combination of claim 9 in which the patch is composed of a flexible resin-based compound.
 16. The combination of claim 9 in which the patch is irregularly shaped.
 17. For affixing to an article of clothing to be worn by a user comprising a body portion composed of a flexible fabric, a protective patch for removing a twist-off cap from a bottle, the protective patch comprising a medallion of a tear-resistant and stretch-resistant material, wherein when the protective patch is affixed to the article of clothing, the user can grasp the patch without removing the article of clothing, cover the cap with the patch and twist the cap to remove the cap from the bottle without substantially deforming or tearing the patch.
 18. The protective patch of claim 17 in which the body portion comprises a front portion for covering a front of the user having a waist portion for covering a waist of the user, wherein the patch is affixed to article of clothing at or near the waist portion.
 19. The protective patch of claim 17 in which the patch is disposed to one side of a vertical center of the front portion.
 20. The protective patch of claim 17 in which the patch supports text indicia or design indicia, or both.
 21. The protective patch of claim 20 in which the patch supports advertising indicia or is configured in a shape of advertising indicia.
 22. The protective patch of claim 21 in which the advertising indicia corresponds to advertising indicia supported by a portion of the front portion remote from the patch.
 23. The protective patch of claim 17 in which the patch is composed of a flexible resin-based compound.
 24. The protective patch of claim 17 in which the patch is irregularly shaped. 